NEW DELHI : Putting the Bangladesh relationship beyond insurgents and illegal migration, India may finally be walking the extra mile with its smaller neighbour. At stake is not merely the stabilization of India's northeast in a more stable periphery, but something much greater: by helping to pull Bangladesh out of poverty. India could also be lending a hand to a nation striving to pull itself back from the brink of fundamentalist chaos.

This is the bigger picture India is trying hard to keep in mind, as the government prepares to welcome Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on her maiden visit this weekend. "We are committed to putting this relationship on a higher trajectory," said senior government sources.

Hasina's visit will yield three treaties and one MoU. As their foreign minister Dipu Moni announced, "Three treaties will be signed...on mutual legal assistance on criminal offences, agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons and agreement on combating international terrorism, organised crime and illegal drug trafficking." The MoU the two countries will sign is on power swapping.

India's greatest expectations from Bangladesh are all in the security sphere. In this, say senior Bangladesh sources, "Dhaka has already delivered, and delivered big." The handover of ULFA ideologue Aurobindo Rajkhowa, they said, marked a significant shift. To some extent, Hasina stuck her neck out on this, because there remains a considerable constituency in Bangladesh that regards people like Rajkhowa, Paresh Barua and Anup Chetia as "assets". The shift has been quietly appreciated in India particularly in the home ministry. Sources said some reciprocity by India in terms of deporting wanted Bangladeshi criminals is likely to happen soon.

After the home secretaries' meeting, which went a long way in establishing a degree of trust, water resources officials met their counterparts in Dhaka last week and took some steps towards working out an agreement on sharing of the Teesta waters. While the gaps have been narrowed, said officials, "more talks are needed."

In reality, this needs a political push from the Indian leadership, which needs to move beyond a transactional approach to a country like Bangladesh. However, the pact is in danger of falling victim to the trilateral political struggles among Congress, CPM and Trinamool in Bengal- an issue Hasina is likely to raise when she goes to Kolkata.

India has also promised to dredge the Ichchamati river in Bangladesh, and work out long-term agricultural cooperation with Dhaka (as Sharad Pawar promised the Hasina government on Thursday), sharing agri-technology, seeds, etc.

India will also give a $500 million line of credit to Bangladesh for building its rail infrastructure, including supplying coaches and wagons.

In the power sector, where the two countries are expected to sign an MoU, India will help in the construction of two 1,300 MW power plants in Bangladesh. The agreement will also include a grid connectivity between the two countries, which will enable them to exchange power. India has promised to give 100 MW of power to Bangladesh, but in the current absence of a connected grid, this is difficult. Once the transmission link becomes operational, Bangladesh would be able to draw power from Indian grids in West Bengal and Tripura.

NEW DELHI: Laying out the red carpet for Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who arrived in Delhi on Sunday night, New Delhi said the visit promised to be “path breaking” and “historic.”

The hyperbole reflected the improved ties between the two countries since Sheikh Hasina took over last year. Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, hours before Sheikh Hasina’s arrival, said that India was committed to providing economic assistance to Bangladesh and said that India was addressing an “entire range of developmental issues of direct interest to Bangladesh.” This included Indian assistance in railway infrastructure, transportation, dredging, power grid interconnectivity, human resource development and investment and trade.

“We seek to revive those physical and emotional links which remain disrupted since Independence, We also seek their understanding and cooperation on our security and connectivity needs,’’ said Ms Rao. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hold discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday. Five agreements will be signed after the meeting between the two leaders.

The two sides will sign an agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons and a pact on Combating International Terrorism, Organised Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking. An MoU on power and one on a cultural exchange programme will also be signed between the two sides.

Sheikh Hasina, who is traveling with a 30 strong business delegation will be conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace Disarmament and Development for 2009 at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Tuesday. She is scheduled to address a business event by the apex business chambers. She will also visit Ajmer. We are confident that this visit would serve to underline that strong India-Bangladesh relations are vital, not just for both our countries, but for the entire region and the international community,’’ said Ms Rao.

India on Monday rolled out the red carpet for visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as she began the official leg of her four-day visit during which the two neighbours will sign five agreements, including three security related pacts.

Sheikh Hasina, who is on her first visit to India after assuming power last year, was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the morning. The Bangladesh leader later called on President Pratibha Patil and discussed a host of bilateral and regional issues.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold talks with the visiting Bangladesh leader later in the day. The two sides are set to usher in a new chapter in their bilateral ties by signing five pacts in areas ranging from security to power and culture after the talks.

Mr. Singh will host a state banquet in her honour.

The two leaders will discuss sharing of river waters, the resolution of the maritime border dispute and the promotion of bilateral trade and connectivity.

The two sides are set to expand their security and counter-terror cooperation by inking treaties on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, mutual transfer of convicted prisoners, and cooperation in the fight against international terrorism, organised crime and illegal drug trafficking.

The three security-related pacts will help New Delhi to press for the extradition of suspected insurgents who have taken shelter in Bangladeshi territory. The prisoner exchange deal is expected to formalise the extradition process between the two countries.

Besides signing accords on power cooperation and a cultural exchange programme, India is set to announce a $500 million line of credit to promote infrastructure development in Bangladesh and a decision to facilitate a rail transit link from Bangladesh to Nepal and Bhutan.

Ms. Hasina will be conferred the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development on Tuesday.

Minutes before Ms. Hasina arrived on a four-day trip on Sunday, India struck an optimist note saying her visit “promises to be a path-breaking one and gives both countries a historic opportunity to build a new and forward looking relationship”.

Underlining a new trust and optimism in bilateral ties that had drifted under the previous Khaleda Zia dispensation, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao had said: “India is committed to working with the government of Bangladesh to build on our historical and traditionally close links and open new vistas in our bilateral relations.”

NEW DELHI: India and Bangladesh on Monday signed five pacts following discussions between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sheikh Hasina.

India extended $1 billion as line of credit to Bangladesh as part of the effort to aid developmental activities in Bangladesh. Sources said this was the largest assistance given by India to any country and underscored the importance New Delhi attached to enchanting bilateral ties with Dhaka. The credit will be extended for a range of projects, including infrastructure development.

The two leaders held discussions for over an hour with focus on security and developmental issues. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told his Bangladesh counterpart, Ms Sheikh Hasina, that her visit had opened up a new chapter in bilateral ties.

The Bangladeshi side gave an assurance that Bangladeshi soil would not be used for anti-India activities. The two sides have also decided to discuss all issues of difference through dialogue.

Though counter-terrorism and security issues were on top of the agenda, the two sides also dwelt at length on economic and trade issues. It was decided at the meeting that a comprehensive framework for development would be set. Dhaka also welcomed the reduction of India’s negative list and has now requested for further reductions. This visit, which is being called historic by the Indian side, is expected to open up the current level of bilateral co-operation between the two countries.

The two sides signed five agreements related to security co-operation, power and cultural exchange. These included three agreements on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, transfer of sentenced persons and combating international terrorism, organised crime and illicit drug trafficking.

A pact on co-operation in the power sector and one on cultural exchanges for the year 2010-2012 were also signed. Following the signing of the power pact, the power secretaries of the two countries will hold a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the contours of the co-operation in the sector. Additionally, Mr Singh during discussions also agreed to give Dhaka 250 megawatts of electricity from the central grid. India had earlier agreed to supply 100 mw of power.

May Allah make terror hucksters to attack there respective political leaders and may Allah save them from these attacks, cause this is the only wake-up call which makes these leaders to face the realism. Sheikh Hasina was attacked for her life in recent election campaign, survived now daughter of banglabandhu seems to be up against the real threat to Bangladesh. Pakistan needed Benazir but to its tough luck she deceased.

Indian media can hit the town on ULFA leadership but the real action is happening inside banglades itself. Jamaat ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh is the price chase, B’desh sleuthhounds are now engaged in extirpating them. All the other terror groups like LeT, HM will find it very tough to operate there freely, without local support.

Bangladeshi media today gave prominent coverage to the inking of "historic treaties" between India and Bangladesh during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's landmark visit to New Delhi which they said would push the bilateral ties to a new plane.

Bangladesh promised not to allow its territory to be used for terror against India as they signed three agreements to jointly combat the menace while New Delhi announced a $one-billion line of credit to Dhaka.

The significant Line of Credit offered by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during talks with his Bangladesh counterpart marked the highest one-time grant by India to any country.

Mainstream Bangladeshi newspapers carried special editorials and analysis on the future course of Indo-Bangladesh ties.

The Janakantha newspaper carried a banner headline titled 'Historic Treaties' to describe the inking of the three agreements and two MoU between the two neighbours.

The Jugantor carried its lead report titled "Three agreements with India: Fruitful Hasina-Manmohan talks", a day after it headlined its main report, saying "Possibilities of changed course in relations".

The Daily Star expressed the hope that the visit would take bilateral ties "to a new plane".

It hoped the visit "will see a change in bilateral relations between our two countries that were marked by suspicion and acrimony".

New Delhi, Jan 12 (PTI) Bangladesh today said India should be "more generous" in dealing with neighbours and that all countries should work together for a prosperous South Asia.

"India is a big country. India matters a lot. It is not just India and Bangladesh alone. I feel in South Asia, every country should work together in a spirit of friendship and cooperation for the benefit of the people of the region", she said during an interaction with senior editors here.

Asked whether India, which has close to eight per cent GDP growth rate, should share some of its prosperity with neighbours in the region, Hasina said "I think as a big country India should be more generous. Others expect of India".

Why does india not go even further and assist bd in its own security concern's.By that i mean donate equipment that is surplus to requirements.Say mig 21's or even mirage2000 if they dont get upgraded,even through in the odd arjun tank.

India has a small window to bind bangladesh close to her. I think its a wise move,or we will see china do it .

After signing three pacts to combat terrorism and organised crime, India and Bangladesh are working on an Extradition Treaty, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asserted on Wednesday. The Bangladesh premier added that her government would go to “any extent” curb the menace, in cooperation with India.

New Delhi yesterday assured Dhaka of speedy implementation of projects on rail infrastructure upgrade in Bangladesh.

All rail projects would be expedited as per the agreement with Bangladesh, Indian Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters after meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi.

A railway link between Rohanpur and Singhabad to facilitate transit traffic from Bangladesh to Nepal through India and making Akhoura-Agartala line operational were finalised yesterday.

Indian railway would help Bangladesh build rail infrastructure that is expected to allow train services from Kolkata to Tripura, she said.

"India always had good relations with Bangladesh and its people," Mamata said.

On cultural ties, she said, "We have a great cultural affinity with the country. There will be exchange of artistes between the two countries on the celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, which will be held in a big way" in 2011.

Mamata said she was invited by Hasina to visit Dhaka. "I have the invitation from her. But the date and time will be decided later" depending on how India's proposals for helping Bangladesh upgrade its railway infrastructure shape up.

Mamata presented famous Nalli sari to Hasina's sister and sweets from West Bengal to Hasina and the Bangladesh prime minister presented two volumes of book "Sheikh Hasinar Rachana Samagra", which Hasina wrote, to Mamata.

Going beyond protocol, Hasina later went to Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's house on 13 Talkatora Road and met him and his family members.

She latter attended a reception hosted by Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Tariq A Karim.

Hasina wraps up her four-day visit today after addressing a press conference in the morning and offering prayers at the dargah of Khwaja Moniuddin Chisti (RA) at Ajmer.

Bangladesh has conveyed its support to India’s candidature for the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.

It was stated in the joint statement issued on the occasion of the Sheikh Hasin’s visit to India.

Bangladesh also conveyed its support to the Indian candidature for a non-permanent seat in the UNSC for 2011-2012 term.

"Responding to the prime minister of India, the prime minister of Bangladesh conveyed her country’s support in principle for India’s candidature for the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council as and when the reform of the UN Security Council is achieved," the statement said.

“Many of our criminals have been hiding in India and I have asked India to hand them over to us,” Hasina said.

The Bangladeshi premier was addressing a press briefing attended by Bangladeshi and Indian media people in the morning at ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel where she stayed during her four-day India visit.

During the 30-minute press conference beamed live by a number of leading Indian news channels, Hasina deftly answered to an array of questions on a wide range of bilateral issues, including security, terrorism, trade, transit, food situation in Bangladesh and “anti-India” sentiments in some quarters in Bangladesh, our correspondent from New Delhi reports.

Replying to a question from an Indian journalist, Hasina said discussions on for an extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India “and if we (India and Bangladesh) can cooperate to tackle terrorism, we can go to any extent in this context”.

Hasina also pointed to the agreements Bangladesh and India signed two days back during her visit on transfer of sentenced criminals and mutual legal assistance on criminal matters and asked India to hand over Bangladeshi criminals hiding in India.

“I feel these agreements are enough. I feel if the two countries can work together, we can make the two agreements work and there is a friendly atmosphere. But if we still face any problem, we can think of extradition treaty. Discussions are on with India on the extradition treaty,” Hasina said.

The PM also termed her India trip as "total successful" and justified her decision to allow India to use Chittagong and Mongla ports, saying “in the present-day world you cannot live with doors closed”.

She also said the issue of transit should be seen in the context of regional cooperation in connectivity.

She said India can use Chittagong and Mongla ports and “we will allow Nepal and Bhutan to use those ports also.”

To a query by a Bangladeshi journalist as to how she would assess her India visit, Hasina said, “My visit is totally successful. But I don’t know what the opposition will say.”

She said the Joint Communiqué signed by Bangladesh and India on Tuesday would “open an era of mutual cooperation and understanding”.

“I am returning with friendship and cooperation from India,” she added.

Hasina also termed India's economy 'a very strong' and urged it to look after all its neighbours irrespective of their size—big or small—on the basis of respect for sovereignty and equality”.

“India is our natural friend. India is big country and it has a very strong economy. It should look after all neighbours—whether they are big or small--on the basis of respect for their sovereignty and equality”, Hasina remarked in her opening remarks at the media interaction.

Asked if Bangladesh would hand over Ulfa leader Anup Chetia to India, she said, “I am not here to discuss any individual name."

Hasina said she understood how people suffered from terrorism as she herself was a victim of a terror attack in August 2004 and before that she lost the large portion of her family.

Pointing out that Islam is a religion of peace and does not allow any kind of terror, the premier said those who are indulging in terror activities in the name of religion are bringing a bad name to it.

“Terrorists have no religion,” she added.

She said she had clearly stated that Bangladesh would not allow its territory to be used for any kind of terror activities against any country. "Our two countries should cooperate with each other to tackle terrorism”.

When an Indian scribe said terrorism had flourished under the previous two governments in Bangladesh, Hasina said, “They were a different party with a different ideology. You can ask them."

To a question what assurance she has got from India on Tipaimukh dam on Barak river, the visiting PM said, “The Indian PM has said repeatedly that India would not do anything that harms Bangladesh’s interests. I have to believe him as he repeatedly says it”.

She said she failed to understand why there is such a storm on the Tipaimukh issue when nothing has come up at the project site.

“What can I say on a project when there is noting on the ground? I don’t understand why there is such a storm over something which does not exist there,” Hasina added.

On Bangladesh’s concerns over trade gap with India, she said discussions had taken place how to increase Bangladesh’s exports to India.

Asked about sharing of waters of common rivers, Hasina said there had been no talks between Bangladesh and India on this since 2002 and things started moving once again only after her government came back to power in January 2008.

Already, meetings of technical committee and water resources secretaries of the two countries have taken place in the last one-year and the ministerial-level Joint Rivers Commission would meet in the first quarter of this year, she said adding, “talks will be held and we will be able to come to a solution.

After the press briefing, she left for the Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan to offer fateha at the shrine of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (RH).

The PM is scheduled to return home in the evening after completing her India tour.

Why does india not go even further and assist bd in its own security concern's.By that i mean donate equipment that is surplus to requirements.Say mig 21's or even mirage2000 if they dont get upgraded,even through in the odd arjun tank.

India has a small window to bind bangladesh close to her. I think its a wise move,or we will see china do it .

Click to expand...

Just because,few treaties were signed and everyone looking happy,doesn't mean Bangladesh and India became friend forever.
It will take a lot of time for the relation to reach that stage.
First of all,we in BD want to see implementation of these agreements.Whether we are really benefited by these or not.If India keeps its promise and behave like a good neighbour,then even the hate-preachers will have a hard time convincing people to take "anti-India" stance.

At last India has decided to settle some of its dues with history with Bangladesh, by agreeing in principle to cede control over some 17,000 acres of territory as part of a larger, comprehensive agreement, in which the remaining tiny part of the 4,096 km-long boundary will be demarcated, while several pockets of adverse possessions and enclaves claimed by both sides are likely to be settled on an “as-is-where-is” basis.

The decision to settle the matter is believed to have been taken at the highest political levels in India, on the eve of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India earlier this week, and is in keeping with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s view that small disagreements cannot be allowed to come in the way of a dynamic relationship with Delhi’s eastern neighbour.

Home Secretary GK Pillai confirmed to Business Standard that India, during the home secretary-level talks in Dhaka in early December had offered such a comprehensive agreement to Dhaka – demarcating the remaining 6.1 km of the 4,096-km long boundary, plus settling the matter of adverse possessions and enclaves — and had received a positive response from the Bangladeshi government.

India holds as many as 111 enclaves or tiny bits of land within Bangladesh territory, amounting to some 17,000 acres since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 (initially held by Pakistan, and after 1971, with Bangladesh), while Bangladesh holds some 51 enclaves amounting to about 7,000 acres in India.

It is believed that India has in principle agreed that it will cede control over its enclaves, even though the difference is about 10,000 acres in Bangladesh’s favour. Meaning, once the negotiations are complete, the Indian enclaves within Bangladeshi territory would be absorbed within Bangladesh and vice-versa.

Officials on both sides agreed that such a path-breaking agreement was on the cards, but it would take between 18-24 months to iron out the details. India needs a constitutional amendment on its part to formalise the boundary demarcation. A joint land boundary working group meeting is expected to be held soon.

In addition, both sides agreed during Hasina’s visit that a flyover would be built to connect Bangladesh territory with the Angarpota-Dahagram enclave, separated by a tiny bit of land called the Teen Bigha corridor (literally, 3 bighas, or the size of a football field), so that Bangladeshis would have 24-hour access to their own territory.

Since Bangladeshis can only exit and enter Angarpota-Dahagram from sunrise to sunset, as India controls the Teen Bigha corridor, the matter had snowballed into a huge issue within Bangladesh.

“The India-Bangladesh relationship has been marred by such silliness over the last several decades, thereby casting a large shadow over the entire relationship,” said noted South Asian analyst BG Verghese.

Verghese pointed out that two Indian prime ministers, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, had in fact promised to their counterparts, erstwhile Pakistani prime minister Feroz Khan Noon in 1958 and Mujib-ur Rahman in 1974, in their respective land boundary agreements, that both sides would transfer or “exchange” these small bits of enclaves held in “adverse possession” by the other side.

But nothing of the sort happened, as Left Front politics within West Bengal – some of the intervening pieces of land were said to be “controlled” by the Forward Bloc, even as litigants hit the courts seeking stays on the matter – prevented a diplomatic resolution.

But with the UPA’s second coming, and the Left Front out of the picture, Delhi has now decided that it will move to decisively resolve the matter, sources said.

Sources pointed out that with Sheikh Hasina in power in Bangladesh, “a historic opportunity presented itself, and may not come again. It is better to resolve these issues now and make India-Bangladesh relations a model for South Asia.”

As for the demarcation of the 4,096-km boundary between the two countries (262 km in Assam, 443 km in Meghalaya, 2,216.7 km in West Bengal, 318 km in Mizoram and 856 km in Tripura), only 6.1 km remain to be demarcated, of which two parts are riverine and the third is a tiny piece of land.

The riverine boundaries are related to the Mohuri and Sui rivers, both of which flow into Bangladesh from India, but whose ownership has been contested by both sides. While Delhi has offered that the median of the river be used to divide it up, the problem is that the river changes course every year as it floods the plain and therefore, the mid-point of the river changes as well.

Over the last many years, Indian and Bangladeshi officials have contested ownership of the rivers, citing maps that date as long back as 1914. But with the new bonhomie between the two nations, it is now being said that these issues will also be quickly resolved.

Just because,few treaties were signed and everyone looking happy,doesn't mean Bangladesh and India became friend forever.
It will take a lot of time for the relation to reach that stage.
First of all,we in BD want to see implementation of these agreements.Whether we are really benefited by these or not.If India keeps its promise and behave like a good neighbour,then even the hate-preachers will have a hard time convincing people to take "anti-India" stance.